A wind tunnel on the Homewood campus the researchers used to experiment with variables such as the correct spacing of wind turbines (Image: Will Kirk/Homewoodphoto.jhu.edu)

Article Summary

While there are increasing numbers of wind farms being built around the world, many of these projects are underperforming and not producing as much power as expected. New research suggests the reason could be that the wind turbines are being placed too close together. The researchers say that spreading the turbines out will result in a more cost-efficient for wind farms and they’ve come up with a formula through which the optimal spacing for a large array of turbines can be obtained.